60 Chapter 60:

After testing Murkrow's awakened attribute, it was Slowpoke's turn. The second brother of the team also took three minutes to use Hidden Power.

Unlike Murkrow's lightning-filled yellow energy ball, Slowpoke's energy ball was red, with scorching heat radiating from it.

The fire-type Hidden Power was perfect for Slowpoke. Not only did it increase his versatility, but it also compensated for his weakness. In fact, it was the most suitable attribute for him.

He would no longer be helpless against bug and grass-type Pokemon as he now had a way to effectively attack them and wouldn't constantly be on the receiving end.

However, Cain knew that he couldn't let Slowpoke face electric and dark-type Pokemon unless it was absolutely necessary. Those two types of Pokemon were far too effective against Slowpoke.

To Cain's surprise, Gastly's awakened attribute was of the grass-type. Although the attributes of Hidden Power had nothing to do with the Pokemon themselves, the grass attribute was still a surprising revelation.

Of the 18 attributes, Grass-type had the most counters, but likewise, restrained certain attributes.

Combined with Hypnosis and other control moves, the awakened grass attribute Hidden Power could give Gastly that much needed edge in battle.

Cain was pleased with the results of the newly awakened attributes of all three Pokemon, especially Slowpoke, who had made up for his shortcomings considerably.

Cain quickly set a training plan for his Pokemon. Murkrow and Slowpoke would train Hidden Power, while Gastly would receive special training from Cain.

Since Gastly had just joined the team, he had only undergone a few low-level fights and physical strength and endurance training. Cain planned to give him more intense training so he could fully utilize Hidden Power.

However, the first move Gastly needed to master wasn't Hidden Power, but Sleep Talk, which he also acquired from a TM.

Sleep Talk allowed Gastly to perform one of his moves while sleeping but it was random. Cain had encountered a powerful Gengar in his previous life that could use specific moves while sleeping. Although Cain wasn't sure how the other Gengar had been trained, the fact that it was possible meant that Sleep Talk could be controlled. So, the first thing Gastly needed to do now was figure out which moves to perform when using Sleep Talk.

As Gastly was just starting out, the requirements were minimal. There was no need to limit Gastly to a specific move. Cain simply needed Gastly to be able to use a move from a designated moveset, any move would suffice.

The training room was soon filled with scenes of Murkrow and Slowpoke using Hidden Power to attack targets while avoiding the unpredictable moves Gastly released in his sleep. At first, Gastly's moves were messy and uncontrolled, but with Cain gradually adjusting his state and situation, Gastly was able to control the choice of moves to within five.

This was a huge improvement and confirmed Cain's theory that even Sleep Talk could be controlled with the right approach.

Cain was determined to unlock the full potential of Gastly's Sleep Talk move. Despite the difficulties, he was determined to find a way to control it.

At first, Cain thought to try and control Sleep Talk by inducing a dream when using Rest. However, he soon realized that it was impossible to create a powerful dream in such a short time.

Next, Cain attempted to control Sleep Talk by giving orders while Gastly was using the move. Unfortunately, this attempt also failed.

Finally, Cain came up with a new conjecture: what if Gastly focused on recalling the move he wanted to perform before using Rest?

To test this conjecture, Gastly concentrated on recalling Hidden Power before using Rest and Sleep Talk. And to Cain's delight, the number of times Hidden Powers was used significantly increased.

Excited by this discovery, Cain even entertained the idea of using telepathy to strengthen Gastly's concentration of consciousness when using Sleep Talk. It was a new direction worth exploring.

Cain was confident that with continued effort, he would find a way to fully realize the potential of Gastly's Sleep Talk, increasing his combat power by several levels.

---

As Cain stepped into the bustling plaza at the center of the base, he was trailed only by the ominous Murkrow. Slowpoke returned to his Pokéball and Gastly disappeared into Cain's shadow, blending in with the darkness.

With the third test looming, the plaza began to fill with competitors, eager to begin. In the center of the plaza stood a towering trial stone on a high platform, and beside it, a flat battleground had been prepared. The ground had been cleared of weeds and flattened, ready for the battles to come. The lines drawn on the ground marked the boundaries of the battlefield, where the trialists would soon face off against each other.

More and more participants arrived, each congregating in their own small groups. Cain took up position in the western corner of the plaza, and soon Skye and his entourage approached, joining Cain.

Skye greeted Cain respectfully and then organized everyone to line up behind him. They had become one of the few formidable factions in the plaza.

Cain barely acknowledged their presence, closing his eyes instead to meditate. The plaza was now divided into two clear factions: Cain's, with over twenty followers at the western corner, and Xander's, with the largest group of about forty at the eastern side, all glaring at Cain and his crew.

Jasmine, who ranked just below Cain and Xander in the previous test, entered the plaza with her own following of over twenty people, most of them young women, and took up position on the northern side. A few young men trailed behind her, but they appeared to be low in status, being scolded by the girls.

On the southern side stood about thirty individuals, a disparate group of lone wolves who had banded together to avoid being picked on by the other factions. They stood apart from each other, not speaking a word.

Viper arrived with his entourage, but Umbra was nowhere to be seen. Team Rocket then began the simplest and most straightforward test - the attack value test. To avoid a repeat of the previous test where no one was willing to go first, they followed the sequence of each participant's number, making the test progress quickly. This way, they could keep track of who was eliminated and the strength of the remaining competitors.

Murkrow stood obediently at Cain's feet, unfazed by the greedy, jealous, and fearful glances directed his way. He simply tidied his feathers, bored by the proceedings. In Murkrow's opinion, this test was a waste of time. Attacking the hard and smelly rock only showed a Pokemon's attack power, not their overall combat capabilities.

As Murkrow scanned the plaza, he found no worthy opponents besides the stinky snake across from it, the fat Zubat in the north who appeared to still be sleeping, and the long-haired dog in the south.

If it weren't for the tension from the spectators, Murkrow would have told Cain that participating in such a dull test was a waste of time. He would rather train more.

Cain, who knew Murkrow best, was aware of his thoughts.

"Patience, Murkrow. After this test, we won't have to do anything as boring. And who knows, maybe you'll get to fight a few more times today!" Cain said, casting a glance at Xander and Ekans standing across from him.

Xander caught Cain's gaze and a smirk appeared on his face, as if to say "Just you wait." After a snort, he looked away.

Murkrow perked up at Cain's words and followed his gaze to the snake he was eager to fight. He couldn't help but want to take flight.

But just as he began to spread his wings, he remembered the current situation and reluctantly retracted them.

Cain, familiar with Murkrow's combative nature, believed that today could be the day for Murkrow to finally satisfy his desire for conflict. This belief was not solely due to Xander, but also the presence of Zubat Trainer Jasmine in the north and Alan, the strongest lone trialist in the south. Cain observed them periodically glancing in his direction with expressions reflecting a blend of eagerness, envy, and hunger for battle.

Cain's mouth curled into a smile, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

"This test is quite intriguing. I wonder what deeper purpose lies behind Viper's modification of the rules," he thought to himself, feeling a thrill of excitement. He was convinced that Umbra had a hand in changing the rules of this test. He could even imagine Umbra lurking in the shadows, observing his every action.

His intuition told him that there was someone watching him constantly, someone who held the key to his goal of leaving the trial island with a commanding victory. He couldn't afford to hold back. He had to show his superior strength, both in attack value and actual combat.

This test was unlike the others before. Participants were encouraged to show their true talent, instead of hiding behind a mask of deception. In this life-and-death arena, it was pointless to keep one's true strength concealed, especially when facing opponents of equal caliber.

Cain could sense that some of the participants, those with hidden backgrounds, suspected that this test was different. They saw him as their primary target. Murkrow, too, was eager for a battle, and Umbra was keen to test Cain's mettle.

So, Cain embraced the challenge. He hoped to establish his dominance and make a lasting impression on the other participants, to show them his unrivaled "despotic power".

"Alright, folks, listen up," the examiner called out, as everyone lined up in front of the trial stone. "It's time for the third round of testing."

The trial-takers had already gone through two rounds, so they were familiar with seeing high attack values. And as the examiner read out each number and score, the improvement was evident. Although not as drastic as the second round, the pressure of life and death had pushed everyone to do their best.

For those who had been at the bottom of the rankings, this was their chance to shine. They had trained tirelessly, desperate to avoid the fate of being in last place - a death sentence.

"Number 46, attack value 198, next!" the examiner called out, followed by a series of scores. Some trial-takers smiled with satisfaction, while others couldn't hide their worry. But there was still hope - the final challenge to fight for survival.

These tests were like a sieve, filtering out the weak and revealing the strong. As long as you had the ability, you wouldn't be left behind.

Then it was Xander's turn, with his Ekans. "Ekans, use Bite!" Xander commanded, and with a resounding "Peng!", their score was revealed - a staggering 337 points. They were the first to break the 300-point barrier, and Xander strutted off the platform with a proud smirk, Ekans following close behind.

Ever since Cain claimed first place in the last round, Xander had been working even harder to train his Pokemon. And now, his hard work had paid off.

His gaze briefly met Cain's before he managed to control his expression. He may have been proud, but he wasn't foolish.

Today's Attack Value test was just a warm-up for the real challenges. No matter how well he performed now, it wouldn't matter if he couldn't defeat his opponent in actual combat.

Cain couldn't deny that Xander had trained Ekans to the best of his abilities with limited resources. If it weren't for his own rebirth, Xander might have once again overshadowed everyone and claimed first place.

Xander's impressive showing had caused a buzz of excitement among the contestants. Those who came after him were fired up, eager to match his performance.

"Number 134, Attack 308!" came the announcement, as another contestant broke through the 300 point mark, just like Xander. The Pokemon accompanying her was a massive Zubat, and it belonged to Jasmine, the third place finisher from the last test.

Cain didn't remember much about Jasmine from his previous life. Even after joining Team Rocket, they had never interacted much. She was quite the enigma.

For a young girl to maintain her third place ranking under the intense pressure from Cain and Xander on the harsh trial island was no small feat. And yet, she had even managed to gather a group of people to challenge Xander.

Cain couldn't help but think to himself, "This person's identity is likely more complex than it seems."

"Number 156, Attack 330!"

The strongest of the lone wolves, Alan, was the first trialist to successfully evolve his Pokemon, a Poochyena, into a larger, more powerful Mightyena. With this advantage, he rose above Jasmine and became second only to Xander in terms of attack value.

Cain had noticed something odd about this trial ever since Umbra hinted that it was different from the others.

For instance, Pokemon that would have been coveted by Team Rocket Officers, were instead given to this batch of trialists. Both Xander's Ekans and Jasmine's Zubat were Pokemon with good talent, and even Alan's Mightyena was impressive. Moreover, how did this Pokemon from the Hoenn region end up among those from the Kanto region?

It was all just too strange and Cain couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. In his previous life, survival was his only concern, so he didn't dwell on it. But now, experiencing it for the second time, he couldn't ignore the strange things happening around him.

"Number 234, prepare for the test!" The examiner's voice interrupted Cain's thoughts, reminding him that it was finally his turn to take the test.

As he walked onto the stage with Murkrow in tow, everyone's eyes were on him. The trial participants had felt the sting of Cain's power. After all, he had taken care of Soros with ease, subdued Skye, and even gifted him a Koffing, solidifying his reputation as a ruthless and powerful figure in the minds of all the trial participants.

Jasmine and Alan, who were previously lounging below the stage, finally focused their attention on Cain. He had made a lasting impression on them as the commoner who had outmatched them all.

"Murkrow, Tailwind! Max speed, Wing Attack!" Cain commanded, unfazed by the gaze of the crowd.

Murkrow took off from the stage, soaring high into the sky, picking up speed as he rode the gusts of wind. He reached his pinnacle before making a sharp turn and shooting across the square, leaving a whistling sound behind them.

The onlookers were dumbfounded by Murkrow's performance.

They were familiar with Cain's technique of utilizing gravity and momentum to increase Murkrow's power, but this time he wasn't holding back. He seemed determined, a far cry from his usual impassiveness.

Their wait was short-lived. Murkrow plummeted from the sky, his wings wrapped in flying energy, shining with a soft white light. With a loud thud, he slammed into the trial stone. The ground trembled, giving the impression that the stone was about to shatter.

The square was eerily silent after the attack, as if the commotion had left everyone speechless.

Jasmine and Alan, who had been in a daze below the stage, finally shifted their focus to the black trial stone as well. The stunned silence was broken by a few glowing white words floating above its surface.

"Attack value: 458!"

All around the square, gasps of disbelief echoed as onlookers stared in shock at the result. They had been expecting Cain to take first place once again, but they never imagined his attack value would reach a staggering 458! This was a crushing victory, outpacing second-place Xander by an astonishing 121 points.

Cain's dominance was awe-inspiring and left a lasting impression on all those present. The word that best described him at that moment was simple, yet powerful: Terrifying!